Nalu Week 2017
by a-girl-with-a-writers-mind
Summary: Collection of prompts for Nalu Week 2017
1. Scars

**_Author's Note: Cannonically, Lucy doesn't have any scars, but I wantes this one to focus on her, so I made up my own. Please leave a review and enjoy~_**

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They lay in bed one late summer night, the covers thrown off and dressed in as little clothing as possible. Lucy was clad in only her lacy bra and panties, her blonde hair spilled over her back and shoulders as she lies on her stomach, her head turned towards him, while Natsu was wearing a simple pair of boxers. Warm breeze wafted in through to open window, barely doing anything to alleviate the heat that had assaulted them for the entire day. Despite the humidity, Lucy still has an arm tossed over Natsu's torso, unwilling to be completely apart from him, though the rest of their bodies aren't pressed against each other like they normally are. She was close enough, though, that Natsu can feel her breaths puff against his bare side as she breathed, the feeling ticklish, but reassuring and calming nonetheless. It was far too hot for either of them to possibly fall asleep, so Natsu stared at the ceiling, his arms spread out, wishing that the summer weather wasn't so insufferable, so he could cuddle Lucy and get some sleep. But much to his displeasure, the heavens ignored him, and the perpetual heat continued.

Lucy shifted beside him, lifting her head and resting it on the bed so she could look up at him. Natsu glanced down at her curiously, and Lucy huffed. "I can't sleep," she complained, her voice tired and a bit upset.

Natsu turned on his side so he could properly look down at her, resting his head on his hand, his elbow holding him up. "Me neither," he admitted with a sigh. "This heat is making it impossible.

"Sadly," Lucy agreed regretfully, raising herself on the arm she drew close to her chest, propping her chin on her hand. "But, we may as well make use of the time."

Natsu nodded with her logic. "May as well," he repeated. He reached out with his free hand, brushing a lock of her golden hair from where is was stuck to her forehead and tucking it behind her ear. His thumb brushed against a thin scar on her cheekbone, so pale and thin it was almost unnoticeable. He tried to remember what caused it, but he couldn't come up with anything.

"Where's this one from?" He asked her, brushing over it again.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "I never really figured out where it came from. Probably something as a result of one of the missions we went on."

Natsu hummed, his fingers trailing down her face to her neck, finding the scar he knew was at the right side base of her throat. It wasn't very big, only about two inches in length. He vaguely remembers that one- she had acquired it on a mission involving a small avalanche of rocks.

He dragged his fingers down to her right shoulder, nudging the strap of her bra to the side so he could see the large scar. It was a jagged one, pale and thick, but not long. This one came from the serrated knife of an enemy from a past battle. Natsu recalled being absolutely furious with the bastard who had dared harm her, the only thing stopping him from him down was the fact that Lucy needed the wound tended to. He frowned, but moved on, bringing his fingers down her arm when she stretched him out for him to see. He found nothing but a small dot of a scar or two, until he came to her hand. A soft, happy smile graced his lips as he traced the thin scar that stretched from the skin between her thumb and index finger to just below her pinkie finger. He loves this scar and the memories that came with it; it was created the night Natsu proposed to her, a cut made so they could forge a blood oath to each other- an oath that they live by every day of their lives.

Natsu lifted her hand to his mouth and gently pressed a kiss to the scar, his love for her clear in the gesture. He released her hand and cupped her face, gazing at her lovingly. Lucy smiled at him, the curve of her plump lips soft.

Natsu brought his hand down once more, his fingers finding their way to the scar above her heart. His expression tightened as he remembered the event associated with this one, the sheer terror he had felt when it happened. The enemy's knife piercing her skin, her cry of pain, the rush of adrenaline her sound caused, making him leap forward and tackle the enemy before he hurt her further.

Not wanting to dwell on old fears, Natsu trailed his fingers to her left arm. He found the skin to be unblemished, save for a single, long, thin scar that stretched nearly the entire length of her forearm. This one happened because of a loosened grip on a knife, causing it to slip and slice her arm. It wasn't deep, but it was long, starting from her inner elbow, all the way to the opposite side of her inner wrist.

Natsu lifted his hand and rested it on her side, gliding it over the expanse of her back. A thick, long scar rested on her left shoulder blade and stretched diagonally down for a good five inches. Lucy got this one from the sword on an enemy, taken by surprise while her back had been turned. Luckily enough, the man hadn't gotten far, and the would was relatively short compared to what it would have been. Still, Natsu pounded that man until he was an unresponsive heap of beaten flesh.

With him saying a word, Lucy rolled onto her back, exposing her torso for his examination. A thin cut went from her ribs on her left side to her front, barely visible when looking directly at her. That was from an arrow; Lucy had been lucky enough that it merely skimmed her side, not going any deeper.

On her right hip was a large, pale scar, just above her panties. She had gotten it from being shoved into a sharp, protruding slab of rubble by a surviving enemy from a battle. Natsu remembers how much pain Lucy was in after it had happened- it had taken two months to properly heal. It was deep and jagged, so it was no surprise.

Natsu dragged his fingers down to her legs. In the middle of her left thigh was a thick, straight scar, something Lucy had inflicted on herself purposefully. Natsu's nose crinkled in displeasure as he thought back to why she had done so. Lucy had been separated from Natsu during an incredibly dangerous mission, but she couldn't call out to him, as their target, and extremely skilled black mage, was a mere two yards from where Lucy was hiding behind a boulder. She had tried, she told him, to think of an alternative, but she couldn't come up with anything, the mage growing ever closer to her vulnerable self. So, she had sliced her leg open, swallowing down a scream of pain, praying with all her heart that Natsu would be able to pick up on the smell of her blood. It had worked, but Natsu berated her for it afterwards.

Still, it meant that she was here today, with a lot more experience and quite a collection of scars.

He raised his green eyes to her face, finding her watching him with indecipherable emotions in her beautiful brown eyes. He smiled at her softly, bringing his hand up to face again. "I love you, Lucy," he whispered, every word holding indescribable feelings for her, the sheer amount of love her had for her overwhelming.

She relaxed then, the strange look in her eyes melting away at his words. She reached up to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking his cheekbone loving. " I love you too, Natsu," she murmured, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled back after a moment, a small smile on her she lowered her head, resting it on his chest, just above his heart. Natsu wrapped an arm around her and tucked her close to him, and the pair basked in each other's comforting presence.

That is, until… "Goddamn heat!"


	2. Body Language

_**Author's Note: This is probably one of my favorite one-shots, and I hope you like it too! Please leave a review, and enjoy~**_

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 **Summary: Natsu and Lucy compete against their friends in charades, coming out on top and having fun every second of the way**

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Lucy watched with mild amusement as Erza flailed her arms around, trying desperately to convey her meaning to Jellal. He stared back at her, and Lucy could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he scrambled for the correct answer. "Scared?" He asked her, and Erza shook her head, frustration on her beautiful features. "Fear? Terror? Jellyfish?" He listed quickly, but Erza turned all of them down.

Before Jellal could continue, Gajeel's loud voice cut through the air. "Time's up!" He boomed, a smirk on his lips as Erza sent him a murderous glare. With a sigh, the anger drained out of her and she dropped her arms to her sides, her shoulders losing their tension. She took her place next to Jellal on the sofa, resting her head against his shoulder mournfully, her disappointment evident.

Jellal wrapped an arm around her her shoulders and squeezed her comfortingly. "It's alright, Erza," he reassured her, but the scarlet haired girl didn't look any happier. "What was it, anyways?" He asked, curious as to what thing Erza had picked.

"Club dancing," she informed him sadly, and Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief. _How was that dancing?_ She yelled internally. _She was waving her arms around like she was on fire!_ She turned her head to look at Natsu, and caught his gaze. His face was full of severe skepticism, and he gave her a look that said 'seriously?' Lucy nodded in agreement, raising her eyebrows slightly to express her opinion on just how bad Erza's acting was. She might be one of Lucy's best friends, but she couldn't even pretend to say that her acting skills were good. She'd be lying through her teeth, but not that Erza needed to know.

Next up it was Levy and Gajeel's turn. The petite girl played out her noun immediately, a plan forming in her head the minute she read the word. She acted it out perfectly, and it took Gajeel only two tries per word to figure out that she had picked 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' a book Lucy had yet to read. Lucy guessed it helped that Levy had an engagement ring on- all she had to do was to point at the sparkly diamond band Gajeel had given her three months prior and then herself, and he had instantly known what it was. They finished before the tiny hourglass had emptied, something Natsu had picked up on as well, if the narrowed glare he sent the plastic piece was anything to go by.

Lucy patted his thigh, drawing his attention back to her. She stood and rolled her shoulders like she was warming up for a competition- which she was, in fact. The winning team got to be taken out for dinner anywhere they wanted once by each of the other teams. Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu absolutely despised the idea pay for one of their meals, and were determined to win. Jellal was much more mature and didn't share their petty qualms, but his pride drove him and his superb acting made him a difficult foe.

"It's our turn, Natsu," she told him, excitement lacing her voice. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at him, anticipation and nerves twisting her stomach, despite her eagerness for her turn.

Natsu nodded seriously and grasped her hand. "Do good out there," he ordered her gravely, and Lucy had to suppress a giggle at his tone.

"I will," she vowed, squeezing his hand softly. Natsu nodded in satisfaction and released her hand so she could turn to the little table. She walked up to it, taking a deep breath and picking a card from the little box the sat on it. 'The Good, the Bad, the Ugly' it read in italics. Lucy didn't recognize the title, figuring it must be a movie she's just never heard of.

She stared at the card intently as she thought, trying to come up with possible moves to help get the words across to Natsu. After she finalized her ideas, she nodded to herself and set the card at the back of the pack, nodding at Gajeel to flip the hourglass.

Lucy immediately jumped into action. She held up three fingers and put another horizontally underneath it, indicating three blank spaces. Natsu instantly recognized it, as it was something they had used in past games. "The," he stated, nodding along. Next, Lucy folded her hand under her chin and beamed, trying her hardest to come off as innocent and pure. Natsu frowned at slightly, before asking hesitantly, "Innocent? Good?" Lucy nodded at his second offer, and then Natsu put together the two words. "The Good?" He asked, and Lucy nodded.

She did the three blanks motion again, but afterwards, she took her finger and swept it under her right eye, along her cheekbone, willing Natsu to understand with her gaze alone. Thankfully, he did. "Badboy?" He questioned, recalling the photoshoot he had done a couple months before in which he had 'badboy' written along his cheekbone in black capital letters. Lucy motioned for him to repeat, and he did, slowly, drawing out the syllables. "Baaad…" He started, and Lucy cut him off with a slice of her hand. "Okay. The good, the bad. Next," he commanded.

Lucy repeated the blanks motion again and held her right hand horizontally under her chin. She then splayed the fingers of her left hand over her face before taking that hand and flipping it over the line of her right. Her eyes bore into Natsu as he struggled to come up with something, willing him to remember her vanity, but dropping her hands after a second. She pointed to her face, batting her eyelashes and tossing her hair over her shoulder, than repeated the flipping motion with her hands. "You're the attractive? Sexy? Pretty?" At the last one, Lucy snapped her fingers, indicating that it was the correct one. "And the opposite is… ugly! The Ugly!" Natsu shouted. "The answer is 'The Good, the Bad, the Ugly!"

"Yes!" Lucy yelled, jumping up in the air, hands thrown up in joy, her loose, cropped sweatshirt floating momentarily in the air. Gajeel checked her card and made a mark under 'Team Nalu' a bit of reluctance, grimacing at the amount of points the pair had racked up. Lucy skipped back to Natsu, giving him a double high five when he held his hands out for it.

"Great job, Luce!" He congratulated, his forest green eyes bright with happiness and excitement. "We finished in even less time than Team Gajevy!" His grinned at her, and Lucy felt her cheeks pinking slightly at his praise.

"You did half the work, you know," she told him, her arm slipping around his back to hold him loosely, his arm coming to rest on her shoulders.

"You're right," he replied, grinning. "We worked together. Great teamwork as always, Luce." With that, they fistbumped, and turned back to the game. It was Juvia's turn to go, but she was having a tad bit of trouble getting Gray the understand. He was yelling off words at random, desperate to find one correct one, least they fall behind even more than the already were. Soo enough, the timer went off without a single word guessed. Juvia sat down with a sigh next to a downtrodden Gray, revealing her word to be 'Lady and the Tramp.' Lucy smiled a bit as she remembered the old movie, a favorite of hers that she had made Natsu watch with her on more than one occasion.

It was Gajeel's turn, and, while he was great with hand signals, as his job as a cop forced him to be, Lucy had found out the charades was definitely not a strong suit of his. He tried in vain to help Levy understand, but his waving arms and frustrated grunts weren't much for her to work with. Even Erza was better than him, and that was saying a lot. But by some miracle, Levy figured it out, the two close enough that she had learned to decipher his craziness.

Jellal went next, absolutely smashing the competition with perfectly executed moves that Erza was able to figure out within seconds. Lucy was truly amazed at his skill- despite his usual distance and reservedness, Jellal was phenomenal when it came to acting. It was kinda scary, how easily he spun complex lies as easily as he turned Erza into a blushing schoolgirl- which was a feat he could achieve by merely smiling at her.

Jellal took his place by Erza's side with a self satisfied smile on his face. Erza was less discreet in her pride- a smug smirk curved her lips, a challenging gleam in her dark eyes.

Lucy grabbed Natsu's face in her hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. "This is our last turn, Natsu," she reminded him sternly. "Don't screw up." Of course, it didn't matter if they didn't get this point, as they were in the lead by four points. Team Jerza was in second, but they just took their last turn, so the win was already theirs. Still, their pride demanded they finish strong.

Natsu nodded and Lucy let go of his face, watching as he picked a card from the set and too time to think it over. She crossed her bare legs and held her ankles, toying with the gold star anklet she wore on her left leg. Her chocolate eyes tracked him closely once he set down his card and nodded to Gajeel, tensed and ready to receive his clues.

Natsu started off by holding up their 'the' sign, and Lucy nodded for him to continue, not wanting to waste time. He spread his arms out wide, like he was trying to hold an enormous yoga ball. "Huge? Large? Big?" She offered, and Natsu nodded excitedly at the last one, Motivated by her quick work, she grinned, her knee jiggling just faster than her heartbeat, adrenaline making her hyper.

Next, Natsu fisted his hands and bent his arms so his forearms stuck out in front of him, and then pulled them back, thrusting his hips forwards in the same motion. Lucy furrowed her brow. "Sex? Having sex?" She questioned, confused as to how it related with 'big'. Natsu tilted his opened hands in an 'eh, kinda,' motion, encouraging her to continue with the last one. "Banging?" He nodded vigorously, then drew his thumb and index through the air like he was highlighting something, then slicing his hands horizontally in an underlining gesture, holding up three fingers and chopping down. _Get rid of the last three letters of the word…_ "Bang?" She asked. Natsu beamed at her, and then tapped the side of his head. She paired the words she had already found: 'The Big Bang'. Using that, she deduced the last word immediately, not needing to think too hard. "The Big Bang Theory!" She yelled, and Natsu clapped his hands together,

"Yes!" He shouted in glee, throwing his fist in the air. He jogged to his spot, wrapping her in a bear hug and drawing her into his lap. "We got it!" He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, giving her a gentle squeeze. Lucy held onto his forearm, laughing delightedly.

They couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces throughout Gray's attempt, which, to his sorrow, was nothing more than that- an attempt. Despite his ability to manipulate words, he was useless in silent games like this.

At the end of the game, Gajeel took his time counting up all the points, even though it was glaringly obvious that Team Nalu won. With a sigh, he announced the winners. If you could call it that, anyway. "Salamander and Bunny Girl won," he mumbled gruffly, pretending that saying it quietly would change the scores. Natsu clearly picked up on this, a devilish smirk stretching his lips, revealing sharp white teeth that gleamed in the soft light of Lucy's apartment.

"What was that, Gajeel?" He asked innocently, tilting his head towards the bulky man.

Gajeel glared at him. "You won," he repeated, this time a bit louder.

Natsu's smirk widened and his eyes flashed with mischievous glee at the blows to Gajeel's pride each word caused. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you," Natsu told him, cupping his ear in an exaggerated fashion, trying to be as antagonizing as possible.

Gajeel's eye twitched at Natsu's antics, knowing full well that he was only trying to rile him up. But of course, being Gajeel after all, he took the bait. "I SAID YOU WON, DAMNIT!" He yelled, furious.

Natsu cackled. "You didn't have to yell," he told him lightly, snickering, and Gajeel shook with restraint.

"Let's go, Shrimp," he growled, standing up and taking Levy's hand, pulling her along as he stomped out of the apartment.

"Bye, guys!" She called out, smiling despite her fiancee's grumbling.

"Bye, Lev," Lucy replied, smiling brightly and waving to the petite bluenette.

Erza sighed, standing with Jellal. "We should be heading home now," she told the blonde, and Lucy nodded, glancing at the clock. It read ten fifty-five, and they had work tomorrow.

"We best we going as well," Juvia agreed, a pouting Gray holding onto her.

"Alright then," Lucy told them. "Get some sleep, and we'll hang out again soon," she promised them. They nodded and bid her farewell, Juvia having a bit more trouble, as she had to drag her whining boyfriend along. Lucy rolled her eyes at Gray- he was usually so mature, but competition brought out his childish side.

Soon enough, it was just Lucy and Natsu in their apartment. Lucy turned to him, smiling. "Well, I must say that we did rather well tonight," she announced smugly, a satisfied smirk blending with her smile, her eyes twinkling.

Natsu grinned at her, his eyes glittering in triumph. "I'm going to have to agree with you there," he responded, keeping up the fake modesty. After a moment, the two burst into laughter, their peals of laughter echoing slightly in the now empty apartment. Natsu drew her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her head, and Lucy held him close, her arms curling around his back and shoulders, burying her head in his chest. They stayed like that for a bit, expressing their affection for each other in a simple hug that mean more than it seemed.


	3. Nostalgia

_**Author's Note: Have some grown Nalu! Please leave a review, and enjoy~**_

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 **Summary: As Natsu and Lucy revisit their college years one night, nostalgia pulls at their hearts- but despite their wistful longing, they wouldn't change their lives for the world.**

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Lucy opened the door of their apartment that night and breathed in the scents of their home, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She toed off her heels, sighing in relief as she stretched her cramped toes. The soft carpet felt good on her sore feet as she walked into the living room, dropping her purse on an armchair. Natsu looked up from his place on the couch, his face lighting up into a soft smile when he saw her. Lucy smiled back at him tiredly and stumbled around to couch to him, her hand covering her mouth as a yawn pulled her lips open. She blinked sleepily, and saw that Natsu had rearranged himself so that he was propped up with his back against the armrest. His arms were open and inviting, and Lucy collapsed into them immediately. Her arms circled him loosely and she rested one leg over his, the other stretched out beside his, her stocking-clad legs forming a figure four. She laid her head on his broad chest, right above his heart.

Natsu's arms engulfed her, holding her to his chest, and Lucy sank into his warmth gratefully. Her eyes closing briefly as she nuzzled against him, soaking in his comforting presence with a content sigh.

Natsu nosed her head and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Tough day at work?" He murmured against her skin, one of his hand coming up to stroke her hair.

She hummed in response and rubbed her cheek against his chest, the buttons of his work shirt she felt telling her that he must have gotten home just before she did. She breathed in his scent, the natural smell of firewood calming her down and making her relax.

She felt him nod against her, the feeling of his fingers running through her hair gently lulling her to sleep. He began humming a melody as his fingers worked absentmindedly, and Lucy could feel the deep vibrations through his chest. Fatigue settled over her, and her gradually, her breathing slowed. Her eyes closed and she melted further into him.

"Remember when we didn't have to go to work everyday?" Natsu asked then, and Lucy's eyes opened as she listened to him. "When we were in college, without a care in the world?"

Lucy huffed a laugh at that, turning her head and resting it on his sternum so she could look up at him. "I definitely wouldn't say without a care in the world," she replied. "We still had classes and tons of homework, remember? There was plenty to care about."

Natsu tilted chin and regarded her. "I'll give you that," he conceded. "But we didn't have to wake up early and work all day."

"Yeah, but it was early enough for me," she grumbled, her nose scrunching as she remembered have to get up at, in her opinion, an ungodly hour, day after day. Lucy loved her sleep, and was _not_ a morning person.

Natsu laughed softly at her words and smiled down at her fondly. "Yes, you made that quite clear," he told her, amusement in his tone and mirth twinkling in his eyes. "You would complain every single day, I swear."

Lucy frowned at him. "I did not," she argued indignantly.

Natsu gave her a look. "Yeah, you did," he countered. "Every day in first class. You would come in with a cup of coffee, grumbling about how the classes were way too early."

"Well, they were!" She exclaimed, remembering the ridiculous class times.

He squinted down at her. "They started at eight," he stated slowly.

"Exactly," she declared. "Far too early."

"You're crazy."

"No, I'm not," she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. Natsu laughed, and Lucy cracked a smile as well. "But, despite the insane schedule, college was pretty fun," she commented, turning her head back so she was resting her cheek against his chest. "The classes themselves weren't bad- we had some pretty interesting professors and curriculums."

Natsu snorted. "Yeah, that's an understatement," he laughed, grinning. "Some of our teachers were real crazies."

"Don't call out teachers crazy!" She admonished him, turning the look up at him again, but there was a smile on her lips.

He raised a rose eyebrow at her. "I will, because that's what they were. Total nutjobs," he replied, a fond look on his face as he remembered their old instructors. "Remember ol' Porly?" He asked.

Lucy recognized the nickname, and rolled her eyes at Natsu's complete disrespect to the old woman. Professor Porlyusica was a very stern teacher, putting up with no foolishness in her class and famous for her hatred for her students. She had complained about them on a daily basis, always grumbling about their incompetence as human beings; but then again, she did that about everyone, so Lucy had come to the conclusion that the professor just didn't like people, period. Why she had become a teacher, a job that required her to interact with noisy, obnoxious college students, was lost to Lucy. "She was certainly something," she told him, a small grimace tugging at her lip.

"Yeah, _annoying,_ is what she was," he retorted, distaste on his features. "That old hag always punished me for something, even when I didn't do anything. It's like she hated me or something."

"I'm pretty sure she did," Lucy told him. "But Gildarts loved you."

Natsu's perked up at the mention of his favorite teacher. Professor Gildarts liked Natsu just as much as he loved him, which was saying a lot. The man had treated him like a son, and the two acted like it, too. They addressed each other casually, even throwing nicknames and insults around during and after class. And, to Lucy's forever disbelief, they had started wrestling playfully on more than one occasion during school. She had already been nervous with Natsu roughhousing with their teacher out of school, but to do so in class, in front of the rest of their astonished peers, had nearly made her pass out with worry and fear of him getting in trouble with another teacher. Natsu had teased her for it afterwards for nearly a week, brushing off her worry with care free smiles and laughs. Lucy didn't understand how he could be so, so, _casual_ with one of their instructors. As close as she was with Gildarts, being close friend with his daughter and all, she had always addressed him formally and treated him with the respect his status demanded. Natsu had no such qualms, throwing restraint and politeness out the two story window of their class. She had been worried sick about him, fearful that other professors would catch wind of their antics, and that Natsu would face punishment or Gildarts would lose his job.

But, by some miracle that Lucy thanked for, the pair never had to deal with any repercussions. Gildarts was still working at the university, and he and Natsu were still in touch. Every once in awhile they would meet up, either going fishing or whatever they did together, and probably loudly.

"Yeah, he's cool," Natsu replied with a fond smile. "A bit of a drunken idiot when he isn't teaching, but that only make him even more fun."

Lucy snorted. "A bit?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. "The only one that drinks more than him is Cana, and she is perpetually drunk." It was true- Cana, Gildarts' only child, drank so much alcohol that it was a wonder that she hadn't died of alcohol poisoning by now. She said that she built up a tolerance for it, and Lucy believed her- Cana could drink grown men under the table and still only be slightly buzzed.

Natsu laughed at that. "True," he admitted. "That girl is even worse than him. At least Gildarts was partially sober during class. Cana would come into class halfway through looking like she fell asleep in a bathtub after a night of heavy partying."

Lucy giggled as she remembered her friend stumbling into her classes, showing no signs of a hangover as it was practically impossible for her to get one. "Yeah, and she would even drink on campus. She had a whole stash of liquor under her bunk, and I swear she emptied it every week."

Natsu nodded, smirking with his next sentence. "And on party nights, she would always bring, like, six bottles of all sorts of alcohol. Remember that one time she brought that really sour candy flavoured one?"

Lucy scrunched her nose at the unpleasant memory. "Sadly. I don't know how she managed it, but she persuaded me to try some and I ended up drinking a half of the bottle. Sometimes I can still taste it. It's awful."

Natsu grinned at her, his teeth gleaming in the soft light of the early evening. "You were also completely drunk that night. You could barely stand up straight; scratch that, you _definitely_ couldn't stand up. I had to carry you back to your room- Erza nearly had my head when she saw me in the girls' dorms." He shuddered as he pictured their scarlet-haired friend in her angry state. She was quite stern about boys not being allowed in the girls' dorms.

"My hangover the next day was horrible. I swore off drinking ever again- but then two weeks later, the same thing happened," she sighed regretfully, blaming all her college hangovers on her brown-haired friend.

"You're such a lightweight," Natsu teased, and Lucy rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips.

"College was really fun," she concluded after a moment of quiet, resting her cheek on his chest once again. "I miss it."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed softly, hugging her closer. "I do too."

They were quiet for a while, memories of their college years filling their thoughts. All the up and down, the good and bad times. The hilarious memories, the morbid ones, the scary ones, the happy ones. It seemed like it happened so long ago; it was hard to believe that they graduated only a few years ago. The past couple of years had passed by so quickly- moving in with Natsu, getting her first proper job, getting engaged, her father's passing. It all happened in the blink of an eye, and Lucy missed her day in college with Natsu and all their friends. Nostalgia pulled at her heart, but she wasn't sad; no, it was a happy kind of longing, one filled with fond memories and the desire to live it all again.

But she wouldn't change the life she was living now, even if she could go back. She has content with her life- she has been happily engaged to Natsu for a while now, their wedding on the horizon. She had a steady job that she loves, with good pay and kind coworkers. Lucy and her friends were still close and constantly in touch, hanging out all the time. They lead separate lives now, making their way down their own paths, but they were still forever bonded by the memories they made together. Sure, she has more responsibilities than when she did back in college, but she wouldn't trade her life now for the world.


End file.
